


Compile Date

by fakebodies



Category: Tron (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Multi, kevin throws a birthday/compile party, more cute nonsense from yours truly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 14:11:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17684975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fakebodies/pseuds/fakebodies
Summary: more cute nonsense- Clu is there this time, as well he should be.





	Compile Date

There’s really way too much to do for a birthday, Flynn decides. He’s been running around non-stop, back and forth, for over a week now— not that the programs don’t appreciate his extra appearances, but Alan and Clu are both starting to get suspicious. How surprisingly similar those two are; Flynn remembers when he’d first created Clu, his eager-to-please smile. Even then, it was nowhere near the manic levels of passion Flynn’s own held. Still, that was Clu. Always logical, always precise. Flynn appreciates that, more than he thinks his program knows.

Tron is the only one privy to his plans, because Flynn knows Tron can keep a secret. The security program doesn’t necessarily approve,  but an offhanded mention of Alan’s username is enough to sway him. Everyone can tell Flynn is frazzled, though. Alan, Lora, and Roy have all been asking him if he’s okay, and he’s starting to wonder if Alan suspects him of cheating. Or something. Flynn’s pointedly not letting it bother him, because hey, birthday plans. He needs to ask Alan for Tron’s compile date after this— Flynn’s never exactly been good with dates; the first couple of years they’d been together, he’d relied on the others to remember birthdays and their anniversary.

Finally, everything’s in order. Tron is keeping Clu occupied while Flynn gets everyone ready in the User world. There’s a lot of grumbling about sneaking over to the arcade at one in the morning, but what Flynn lacks in his ability to remember dates he makes up for in impossible-to-deny puppy eyes. His enthusiasm grows the closer they get to the arcade; he’d been waiting for a chance to show off the Grid to these three, and this had given him the perfect excuse. Though, Lora does whack him in the back of the head for stealing one of her old lasers without asking. Flynn gives them explicit instructions to stay in the other arcade until he gets there— they go one at a time. Roy first, Lora, then Alan, and finally Flynn. He hands them each a baton, stashed in his desk in preparation. Roy begins to make lightsaber noises; Flynn’s pretty sure he’s never been more in love.

Outside, after a quick and dirty explanation of batons and lightcycles, they take off. Lora catches on quickest, and to his surprise Alan’s a close second. Roy swerves and skids more than any of them, but he’s the most excited to try again. As they sneak up to the top floor of the tower, Alan demands to know where they are. Flynn gives him a rushed response of “the computer world, man; I’ll explain later,” which earns him an eye roll and exasperated sigh. He instructs them all to hide once they’ve reached his penthouse— he thinks he hears Roy whisper “compile party” to Lora, but he doesn’t have much time to worry about it. Tron shows up with Clu only a picocycle later, punctual as ever. He shoots a disapproving look in the direction he thinks Flynn may be hiding before activating the lights like he was told.

Flynn jumps out and shouts “surprise!” along with the others, though Alan is quickly distracted by Tron, and Tron by him. They gravitate towards each other, examining, both so analytical. Alan’s hair has begun to gray at the temples, which he’s fondly blamed Flynn for, and his glasses, of course. Tron is so young, still. A carbon copy of Alan from the early eighties. Those two are quickly engrossed in conversation, abandoning Flynn and the others to a quizzical-looking Clu. He demands to know if this is some sort of joke or strange User custom he’s unaware of, and why Flynn possibly brought three new Users. Flynn introduces Clu to Lora and Roy, explains that this is called a birthday party (and what a birthday is: “You were compiled today, Clu, a year ago”), before Lora gently shoulders Flynn out of the way.

“Clu, you run all this?” she asks, gesturing at Tron City through the window.

“Yes, technically, though only when Flynn isn’t around. The Creator does the most important work-“ Clu starts, only to be cut off by a knowing smile and a conspiratorial, ‘we both know Flynn doesn’t do a thing’ wink. Flynn knows, right then, that Clu and Lora are going to get along like a house on fire.

Roy steps up next, shakes Clu’s hand and tells him happy birthday, before asking if Clu’s any good on a lightcycle. Clu nods, somewhat skeptical, but it’s hard not to relax when you’re fixed with one of Roy’s beaming smiles.

“Great! You’ll have to teach me how to ride.” Roy declares. Clu seems taken aback by the prospect of him teaching a User anything— Roy jabs his thumb at Flynn.

“I trust Kevin about as far as I can pick him up and throw him; it’d be really great to learn from you, Clu.”

Poor Clu doesn’t seem to know how to handle a User deferring to him, treating him as one hundred percent equal, but he doesn’t get much time to ponder things before Flynn is slinging an arm around his shoulder. He’d called for energy to be sent up, and after singing happy birthday the four Users and, hesitantly, Tron toast Clu. To new adventures, from Flynn. Good health, from Alan and Tron. Happy years from Lora, and good friends from Roy. As the party comes to a natural close, Flynn pulls his fellow Users aside, explaining that he’s going to spend the night on the Grid.

“Poor Clu hasn’t gotten my full attention in ages, he deserves at least that on his birthday.” he explains, and the others agree. He gets a knowing smile from Roy, too, which means he’ll definitely be returning to an apartmentful of partners ready to tease him. Tron agrees to escort the others to the portal— Roy waggles his eyebrows at Flynn on the way out, and Flynn responds with a wink. Roy’s “hey!” is promptly cut off by Flynn closing the door.

Later, in bed with Clu in his arms, Flynn asks what he thought of the others. He’s not surprised to hear Clu likes Lora the most, nor is he surprised Clu hadn’t gotten to spend enough time with Alan to formulate an opinion. Clu insists he trusts Alan, though, by nature of who’s User he is. Flynn smiles a little, brushing his fingers through his program’s slick hair.

“That’s great, man, that’s really cool. I was thinking about bringing them on to help around here, you know? I know you’ve been pretty stressed lately, and I’m all over the place. Having a couple extra Users with better organizational skills probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Flynn chuckles. “How’d you feel about working with them?”

“They wouldn’t render my functions redundant?” Clu asks, frowning. Clu seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. Flynn shakes his head, kissing Clu’s brow.

“Nah, they’d answer to you, actually. Or you guys’d be on equal footing, but you get the idea. Nobody’s getting rid of you. Who else knows this place better than even I do?”

“No one, just me.” Clu concedes, giving Flynn that same slight, hopeful smile he’d given the day he was compiled. Flynn smiles back, warm and bright, happily listening as Clu tells him how much he’d like working with Lora, how he thinks it will be enjoyable to teach Roy how to ride a lightcycle, and about all sorts of plans for the future.

For the first time in a while, all is right in the Grid.

* * *

 

In the User world, snuggled up between two of his partners, Roy drops the bomb only he had noticed:

“I think Flynn has a new digital boyfriend.”

Lora lets out a sharp, startled laugh— Alan sputters, fumbling for his glasses.

“Roy, you have got to be kidding.”

“Nope.” comes the self-satisfied reply. Lora whacks him in the face with a pillow, and all is right in the User world too.


End file.
